HECHMSANDHYDROLOGICMODELING

ENVI512
February2003

I. HydrologicandHydraulicModels

Representationoffloodingisaccomplishedusingtwotypesofmodels:hydrologicandhydraulic.
Hydrologicmodelingsimulatesthehydrologicresponse(flow)ofabasintoagiveninputofrainfall.
HEC1 and HECHMS are two types of hydrologic models. Hydraulic modeling simulates the
hydraulic response (water surface profiles) of a stream to a given input of flows. HEC2 and
HECRASarebothhydraulicmodels.Bothhydrologicandhydraulicmodelsareneededforanin
depth flood analysis of any watershed system. While this exercise will only deal with using
HECHMSforhydrologicmodeling,abriefdescriptionofthefourpreviouslymentionedmodelsare
givenbelow:

A. HEC-1

TheHEC1FloodHydrographpackagecalculatesdischargehydrographsforagivenrainfallevent.
AccordingtotheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers,TheHEC1modelisdesignedtosimulatethe
surface runoff response of a river basin to precipitation by representing the basin as an
interconnectedsystemofhydrologicandhydrauliccomponents.Representationofacomponent
requires a set of parameters which specify the particular characteristics of the component and
mathematicalrelationswhichdescribethephysicalprocesses.Theresultofthemodelingprocessis
the computation of streamflow hydrographs at desired locations in the river basin. Thus for
computermodelingpurposes,HEC1dividesthewatershedintosubwatershedsandreaches.Each
subwatershedandreachusesaveragedvaluesovertheareaorstreamlengthforthemathematical
coefficientsforthehydrologicandhydrauliccomputations.Forthisreason,HEC1isreferredtoasa
lumpedparametermodel.
 2
B. HEC-HMS

TheU.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineersHydrologicModelingSystem(HECHMS)istheWindows
based hydrologic model that supersedes HEC1 and contains many improvements over its
predecessor.Themostnotabledifferenceisaneasytousegraphicaluserinterface(GUI)shownin

Figure1whichallowsfortheeasymanipulationofhydrologicelementssuchasbasinandriver
reachesandtheeasyinputofbasincharacteristics.TheGUIalsoallowsfortheeasyviewingof
resultsatanypointinthemodelschematic,asshowninFigure2.Inthefuture,themodelshould
havethecapabilitytomodelgriddedrainfall,suchasNEXRADestimatedrainfall.

Figure1:HECHMSUserInterface
 3

Figure2:GraphicalOutputfromHECHMS

AnotherdifferencebetweenHECHMSandHEC1istheorganizationofthecomponentsthatmake
up each hydrologic modeling run. In HECHMS, a project is created which contains separate
models:theBasinModel,thePrecipitationModel,andtheControlModel.Theusermayspecify
differentdatasetsforeachmodelandthenthehydrologicsimulationiscompletedbyusingofdata
setfortheBasinModel,thePrecipitationModel,andtheControlModel.TheBasinModelcontains
the basin and routing parameters of the model, as well as connectivity data for the basin. The
PrecipitationModelcontainstherainfalldata,eitherhistoricalorhypothetical,forthemodel.The
ControlModelcontainsallthetiminginformationforthemodel,includingmodeltimestepsand
startandstopsdateandtimesofthesimulation.Thisallowsforeasierorganizationofmodelingdata
thaninHEC1,whichrequiredaseparatedatasetdescribingallaspectsofthemodelingrunforeach
independentmodelingrun.

C. HEC-2

TheHEC2WaterSurfaceProfileprogramcomputesonedimensionalwatersurfaceprofilesfor
steadyflowinastreamwithagivenchannelgeometry.Theprogramusesabackwatercalculationto
determinewatersurfacelevelsstartingfromthegivenstartingwatersurfaceelevationattheoutletat
 4
each profile based on peak flow, roughness (Mannings) coefficients, crosssectional geometry,
bridges,culverts,andstreamlength.LikeHEC1,theprogramisaDOSbasedprogram.

D. HEC-RAS

HECRAS is the nextgeneration hydraulic model which supercedes HEC2. Like HECHMS,
HECRASfeatures aneasytouseGUI,andtheability totake advantage ofHECDSS.Future
versionsofHECRASwillbeabletomodelunsteadyflow.

E. Other Modeling Tools

Thereareanumberoftoolsthatassistinthehydrologicandhydraulicmodelingprocess.HECDSS
andVisualDSSBasics97arepresentedbelow.

1. HEC-DSS

A major difference between HECHMS and HEC1 is the use of the Data Storage System, or
HECDSS,tomanagetimeseriesandtabulardata.Thesystemwastheresultofaneedinhydrologic
engineering torelate similar types ofdata. Previously,data fromone formatwouldneed tobe
enteredintoanotherformatbyhandbyeachuser.Eachprogramwouldthenuseseparatefunctions
toanalyzeandgraphthedata.TheHECDSSsoftwareistheresultofanefforttomakehydrologic
data management more efficient and allow for the HEC family of programs to use the same
database.

WhatthisentailsisthattimeseriesandtabulardataarenotstoredintheHECHMSdataset;rather,
thedataarestoredinaseparateHECDSSdatafile,whichisaccessedbytheHECHMSmodel.The
databaseconsistsofsixparts:theAPart,BPart,CPart,DPart,EPart,andFPart.Thedataare
storedunderauniquepathname,whichincludesalloftheparts:/APart/BPart/CPart/DPart/E
Part/FPart.Usingtheseparts,itiseasyfortheuserandthemodeltoqueryandmanagethedata,
especiallybetweenmodels.

Table1:HECDSSPartNames
 5
Part Description
APart Riverbasinorprojectname
BPart Locationofgageidentifier
CPart Datatype(e.g.flow,rainfall,etc.)
DPart Startingdate
EPart Timeintervalofdata
Fpart Userdefineddescriptorofdata

Longtermdataseries(yearsandgreater)canbestoredinHECDSSandmultiplemodelrunscanbe
madeindifferenttimeswithinthedataseries.ThedatacanalsobeaccessedbyotherHECmodels,
suchasHECFDA,whichanalyzesthecostbenefitoffloodcontrolandfloodplainmanagement
alternatives.

2. Visual DSS Basics 97

WhiletheHECDSSsoftwarepackageisanimprovedmeansofmanaginghydrologicdata,thereis
notaneasymethodtotransferthedatafromaspreadsheettoaHECDSSfile.AMicrosoftExcel
AddInproducedbySaracinoKirby,Inc.titledVisualDSSBasics97allowstheusertoeasilystore
regulartimeseriesdatafromExcelintoaHECDSSdataset.VisualDSSBasics97alsoallowsfor
retrievalofdatafromtheHECDSSdatabase,whichallowsfortheeasygraphingofresultsinExcel
withminimaluserformatting.

II. HydrologicModelingandParameterEstimation

A. Unit Hydrograph Methods (Runoff Transformations)

Therearenumerousmethodsofmodelingrunofftransformationsforeachsubwatershed.Wewill
presenttwoofthemorecommonmethods,theClark(TC+R)UnitHydrographandtheSnyderUnit
Hydrograph.FurtherdiscussiononbothmethodsispresentedinHoggan(1997)andBedientand
Huber(1992).
 6
1. Clark (TC + R) Unit Hydrograph

Need:
TimeofConcentration(Tc):Hours
StorageCoefficient(R):Hours

Both the Brays Bayou and White Oak Bayou models use the Clark T C+R method for unit
hydrographcomputations.Intheory,theClarkmethodusesaconceptualmodelconsistingofalinear
channel,whichflowsintoalinearreservoir.Tcisthetimeofconcentration,whichcanbemeasured
inagagesbasinasthetimefromtheendofaburstofrainfalltoitsinflectionpointonthereceding
limb,normallymeasuredinhours.Tcshouldalsobethetraveltimefromthemostremotelocationin
thewatershedtotheoutlet.R,thestoragecoefficient,usuallyexpressedinhours,canbeestimated
bytakingtheflowattheinflectionpointoftherecedinglimbofthehydrographanddividingitby
theslopeoftherecessionatthesameflow.Figure3showshowtocalculatethecoefficientsforT c
andR,basedonanobservedhydrograph.

BedientandHuber(1992)presenttheequationsforthedeterminationofTcandR:

0.706
L
Tc R C ,where
S

C=4295[%development]0.678[%conveyance]0.967,if%development>18;
C=7.25if%developmentis18.
 7

Figure3:CalculationofTcandRfromanObservedHydrograph
(adaptedfromHoggan1997)

1.06
L
Tc C ca ,whereCistakenfrom:
S
S0(ft/mi) %development C
>40 0 5.12
20<S040 0 3.79
20 0 2.46
>40 100 1.95
20 100 0.94

R TC R TC ,where
L = lengthofchannel(outflowtobasinboundary)(mi)
Lca = lengthalongchanneltocentroidofarea(mi)
S = channelslope(ft/mi)
S0 = representativeoverlandslope(ft/mi)
%development = percentoflandthatisdeveloped(%)
%conveyance = ratioofflowtooverlandflow(%)
Tc = timeofconcentration(hr)
R = storageconstant(hr)
 8

Ofthesecoefficients,determinationofLcaisoftenthemostconfusing.Todeterminethiscoefficient,
findthecentroidofthesubwatershedanddrawtheshortestlinetothestream(say,pointA).The
distancefrompointAtotheoutletalongthelengthofthestreamisLca.

2. Synder Unit Hydrograph

Need:
SnydersStandardLag(Tp):Hours
SnydersStorageCoefficient(Cp)

TheSnydermethoddoesnotdefineacompleteunithydrograph,sothehydrologicmodel(HEC1or
HECHMS) completes the hydrograph using a trial and error procedure. With the given input
parameters,TpandCp,theprogramuseshydrologicmodeltodeterminetheoptimalClarkparameters
basedontheSnydercoefficients.BedientandHuber(1992)presentequationstodetermineTpand
Cp:

Tp Ct LLc ,where
0.3

Tp = Snydersstandardlag(hr)
L = lengthofchannel(outflowtobasinboundary)(mi)
Lc = lengthalongchanneltocentroidofarea(mi)
Ct = coefficientusuallyrangingfrom1.8to2.2(Cthasbeenfoundtovaryfrom0.4
inmountainousregionsto8.0alongtheGulfofMexico)

Cp isthestoragecoefficientthatnormallyrangesfrom0.4to0.8,wherelargervaluesof Cp are
associated with smaller values of Ct. Cp can also be estimated in the peak flow from the unit
hydrographisknown:

Q pTp
Cp ,where
640A

Qp = peakdischargeofunithydrograph(cfs)
A = drainagearea(mi2)
 9
B. Stream Routing

Therearenumerousmethodsofmodelingstreamroutingforeachstreamsegmentinahydrologic
model. We will present two of the more common methods, Modified Puls (StorageOutflow)
Routing and Muskingum Routing. Further discussion on both methods is presented in Hoggan
(1997)andBedientandHuber(1992).

1. Modified Puls (Storage-Outflow) Routing

Need:
Storage:acftvs.Outlflow:ft3/s
TimeSteps(orsubreaches)

StreamroutingforthemajorityofthereachesintheBraysBayouandWhiteOakBayouwatersheds
isaccomplishedusingtheModifiedPulsMethod,orstorageoutflowrouting.Thebasisbehindthe
ModifiedPulsMethodisthattheoutflow inthechannelisauniquefunctionofstorageinthe
channel. Calculation of the storage outflow relationship often involves a simple hydraulic
computation of each river reach using a program such as HECRAS or HEC2. A table of
correspondingstorageandoutflowsisthenenteredintothemodelateachriverreach.

Figure4showshowtherelationshipofstorageandoutflowisdetermined.Theflow,Q,isafunction
ofthewatersurfaceelevation,WS.Thetotalstorage,S,isthenthesimplegeometriccalculationof
thevolumeofwaterbetweenriversegmentsAandB,andbelowtheWS.Therefore,flowisa
functionofstorageandtheserelationshipsareenteredinthehydrologicmodel.
 10

Figure4:ModifiedPulsStreamRouting(adaptedfromHoggan1997)

Majorcomplexitiesaredeterminingtheaccuratestorageineachreach.Often,idealizedgeometries
forthemodelneedtobeassumedandsimpleopenchannelflowormorecomplexhydraulicanalysis
usingHEC2orHECRAScanbeusedtodeterminetheassociatedflow.

Thenumberoftimestepsisthetimeittakesadropofwatertotraveltheentirelengthoftherouting
reachdividedbythecomputationtimeofthehydrologicmodel.Toestimatethetimeittakeadrop
ofwatertotravelthelengthofthereach,ahydraulicmodelshouldbeused.Asaruleofthumb,
waterinastreamcantravel2mi/hr,althoughinchannelizedstreams,theratecanincreaseto10
mi/hr,orevengreater,dependingonoverlandslopeandchannelroughness.

2. Muskingum Routing

Need:
MuskingumK(TravelTime):hr
MuskingumX(StorageRouting)
TimeSteps(orsubreaches)

MuskingumKisthetraveltimeforthereach,andisdeterminedbydividingthemeanvelocityby
thereachlength.Velocitycanbedeterminedfromahydraulicmodel,suchasHEC2orHECRAS,
 11
orperformingasimpleopenchannelflowcalculationusingManningsequation.Channelvelocities
canalsobeassumed,usingtheruleofthumbpresentedintheprevioussection.

MuskingumXistheonlymeansrepresentstoragefortheroutingstepusingthisroutingprocedure.
MuskingumXrangesfrom0to0.5,where0.5isusedforsmoothuniformchannelswithapure
translationofthefloodwave.Avalueof0.2isgenerallyusedfornaturalstreamsandavalueof0.45
isusedformostimprovedurbanchannels.

Thenumberoftimestepsisthetimeittakesadropofwatertotraveltheentirelengthoftherouting
reachdividedbythecomputationtimeofthehydrologicmodel.Toestimatethetimeittakeadrop
ofwatertotravelthelengthofthereach,ahydraulicmodelshouldbeused.Asaruleofthumb,
waterinastreamcantravel2mi/hr,althoughinchannelizedstreams,theratecanincreaseto10
mi/hr,orevengreater,dependingonoverlandslopeandchannelroughness.

Figure5showstheeffectofMuskingumKandXcoefficientsontheroutedhydrographs.

Figure5:MuskingumRouting
 12
C. Diversions

Diversionsforhydrologicmodels useasimpletablerelatingriverflowtodiverted flow.These

relationshipscanbedeterminedusinggeometriccalculationsandhydraulicmodels.

D. Loss Rates

ThelossrateusedinHarrisCountyandmanyothercommunitiesisthesimpleInitialConstantLoss
Method.Underthismethod,aninitialamountofrainfallislost,orinfiltrates(orevaporates)anda
constantrateofrainfallislostperhour.ForHarrisCounty,theseratesrangefrom0.5to1.0inches
ofinitialloss,and0.05to0.15inchesperhourofconstantloss,dependingofdegreeofurbanization
andsoiltype(Table2)

Table2:HCFCDRecommendedLosses

SandySoils ClaySoils
Losses Rural Urban Rural Urban
Initial(in) 1.00 0.75 1.00 0.50
Constant(in/hr) 0.15 0.10 0.10 0.05

E. Baseflow

ThebaseflowmethodusedinHEC1isanexponentialdecayfunctionofadefinedstartingbaseflow
accordingtothefollowingequation:

nt
Q Qo x

where Qo isthestartingbaseflow, x istheempiricalratiobetweentherecessionbaseflowandthe

recessionbaseflowonehourlater(alwaysgreaterthan1.0),andntisthenumberoftimesteps.In
simplehydrologicmodelsovershorttimeperiods,baseflowcanbeneglected.

III. ExampleProblem

Thisexampleproblem,willhopefullyshowtheapplicationofbothunithydrographtransformation
methods and both routing methods. This problem is adapted from the U.S. Army Corps of
 13
EngineeringHECHMSUserManual(Chapter9).Theusermanualisavailablefreeofcharge,asis
themodel,fromtheirwebsitehttp://www.hec.usace.army.mil.ThisexercisewilladdresstheCastro
Valleywatershed,asmallbasinlocatedinnorthernCalifornia,anditsresponsetoarainfalleventin
1973.

A. Background information

TheCastroValleyexampleproblemusesasmallwatershed,consistingoffoursubbasinsandtwo
streamreacheswhichwillbemodeledasroutingsteps(Figure6).Followingisadescriptionofall
thedatanecessarytosetupHMSforthiswatershed,andalistofcommandsneededtodothesetup.

B. HEC-HMS Model Set-Up (Getting Started)

ThisexercisewillrecreateaHECHMSmodelfromscratchfortheCastroValleywatershedin
northernCalifornia.

OpenHECHMSprogrambydoubleclickingontheHMSicon.
To create a new project, select New in the popup window. Name the project Castro
Example andtype CastroValleyurbanstudy forthedescription.Allinformation
willbe,bydefault,storedinthefolderintheC:\hmsproj\CastroExamplefolder.ClickOK.
Tosetthedefaultsforthenewprojectandthedesiredunitsystem,select ProjectAttributes
from the File menu. Select English units, Initial/Constant loss rate, Clark UH, and
Muskingumrouting,andthenclickOKtosavethedefaults.

C. Gage Data

Therearethreewaystoentergage(precipitationandflowdata)intotheHECHMSmodel.Thefirst
wayistodirectlyenterthedata.ThesecondwayistoimportthedatafromanexistingDSSfile.The
lastwayistoimportthedatafromExcelusingVisualDSSBasics97.

Toentergagedatabytheuser,selectPrecipitationgagesundertheDatamenu.Thefirsttime
youusethis,anewgagewillautomaticallybecreated.Foradditionalgages,youwillchoose
Add Gage from the Edit menu. Enter Fire Dept. under Gage ID, and make sure that
 14
Incremental Precipitation and Inches are selected in the Data Type and Units windows,
respectively.SelectManualEntryandclickOK.Enter16JAN73and0300forstartingdate
andtime(January16,1973at3:00AM)andenter 16JAN73 and 1000 forendingdateand
time.Select 10Minute timeintervalandclick OK.Entertherainfallateachtimestepfrom
Table3andclickOKandClose.

Table3:FireDept.Rainfallon16JAN73
(Timeisendofrainfalltotal)

3:10 0.00 4:20 0.03 5:30 0.03 6:40 0.07 7:50 0.03 9:00 0.00
3:20 0.00 4:30 0.02 5:40 0.09 6:50 0.07 8:00 0.01 9:10 0.01
3:30 0.01 4:40 0.05 5:50 0.08 7:00 0.02 8:10 0.03 9:20 0.06
3:40 0.01 4:50 0.05 6:00 0.03 7:10 0.04 8:20 0.02 9:30 0.02
3:50 0.08 5:00 0.02 6:10 0.04 7:20 0.03 8:30 0.01 9:40 0.04
4:00 0.03 5:10 0.05 6:20 0.03 7:30 0.02 8:40 0.03 9:50 0.01
4:10 0.05 5:20 0.04 6:30 0.07 7:40 0.03 8:50 0.01 10:00 0.00

OPTIONAL:ToseehowVisualDSSBasics97works,closedownHECHMS.Wehavetodo
thisbecausetoprogramscannotaccessthesameDSSfileatthesametime.OpenupExcel,and
clickIAgreefortheVisualDSSBasics97dialogbox.InExcel,clickOpenundertheVisual
DSSBasics97Filemenu(whichshouldbebelowtheFilemenuforExcelorinaseparatedialog
box.Exploretothehmsprojfile,opentheCastro2folder,doubleclickonCastro2.dssfile,and
clickOK.ThisnowallowsaccesstotheDSSdataset.IntheVisualDSSBasics97menu,click
Retrieve andthen RegularTimeSeries and BySelection.ClickonFullandclickOK.If
yourDSSdatasethasbecometoolarge,youmaynarrowthesearchusingdifferentqualifiersfor
thedifferentpartsusingtheSelectivesearch.UnderTimeWindow,enterthestartingdatetime
fortheseries(January16,1973at3000)andtheendingdataandtime(January16,1973at
1000).ScrolldownuntilyoufindtheDSSfilefortheFireDept.gage,whichshouldbeat
something like: /CASTRO VALLEY/FIRE DEPT./PRECIPINC/16JAN73/10MIN/OBS/.
HighlighttheDSSpathnameandclickOK.Youcanmakeanychangestothedatathatyouwish
insideofExcel,orimportnewdataandchangethenameofthegageinPartB.Tostorethenew
data,simplyhighlightfromthelowerrighthandcornerofthedatatoPartA:andclickonStore
 15
andthenRegularTimeSeries.Atthedialogbox,clickOKandthenewdatashouldbestoredin
theDSSfile.ClosetheDSSfilebyclickingFileontheVisualDSSBasics97menuandClose.
Youcansavetheworksheetifyou,foreasyimportlaterintoHECHMS.DSSfilesimportedinto
theDSSdatabaseusingVisualDSSBasics97neededtohaveagageidentifiedwiththeDSS
file.Todothis,inthemainmenuofHECHMS,clickonEditGageDataPrecipitation.In
thepopupmenu,clickonAddGageandgivethegageanameintheGageIDfield.Clickon
ExternalDSSFileandclickOK.Inthenextpopupmenu,clickonGenerateCatalog(again,
youcanlimityourquerybyusingthedifferentparts).Findthegageandhighlightitspathname
andclickOKandClose.

ThefinalwaytoinputgagedataintotheHECHMSmodelistoretrievedatafromanexisting
DSSdataset.Wewilldothisfortheobservedflowattheoutletofthewatershed.SelectData
DischargeGage.Thefirsttimeyouusethis,anewgagewillautomaticallybecreated,afterthat,
youwillhavetoselect File AddGage foranewgage.Namethegage Outlet andselect
ExternalDSSRecord, thenclick OK.TheDSSfileisactuallyintheexistingCastrofile,so
clickonFileBrowserintheupperrighthandcornerofthewindowtoselecttherightDSSfile.
Explore tothe castro folderinthe hmsproj folderandopen castro.dss.ClickonGenerate
Catalog and highlight the pathname for /CASTRO VALLEY/OUTLET/FLOW/16JAN73/
10MIN/OBS/,click OK andthen Close.YouhavenowimportedanexistingDSSfilefrom
anotherprogramintoanewdataset.

D. Basin Model

Themajorityofthehydrologiccomputationsaredescribedinthebasinmodel.Wewillfirstdescribe
theexistingconditions.Atthe ProjectDefinition window,select Component BasinModel
New.EnterCastro1forthebasinnameandExistingconditionsforthedescriptionand
clickOK.
 16
Map File HECHMS allows the
usertoimportordefineamapfile.
Click on Basin Model Attributes
from the File menu, click the File
tab,thenclick Browse nextto Map
File window. Explore to the castro
folder in the C://hmsproj directory
andopencastro.map.ClickOK.

Basin Schematic HECHMS

allows for the easy use and
manipulation of hydrologic features.
Toaddafeature,dragtheiconfrom
thelefthandmenutotheplaceyou
want it on the schematic. There are
foursubwatershedsinthismodel.To
add a subwatershed, click and hold
the Subbasinicon anddragittothe
middle of the delineated watershed.
The first will be named subbasin1,
Figure6:HECHMSBasinSchematic
so drag it to the location shown in
Figure6.Toeditasubbasin,double
clickontheicon.Ifnecessary,youcanandrenamethewatershedssothattheymatchthenames
fromFigure6(oryoucanjustdragthemaround).Therearetworeaches(routingsteps)and
thesecanbeaddedinasimilarmanner.Again,besuretomatchthenamesandlocationsofthe
reaches shownin Figure6. Therearethreejunctions inthemodel.Placethejunctions and
renamethemtomatchthenamesandlocationsinFigure6.ToconnectEastBranchandWest
BranchwithReach2andReach1,placeeachjunctionovertheendofthereach.Eachsubbasin
needstobeconnectedtoeitherthebeginningofareachortoajunction.Toconnectthebasinto
 17
thebeginningofthereach(Sub2andSub4),rightclickonthesubbasinandchooseConnect
Downstreamandthenclickontheupstreamendofthereach.Thesamemethodcanbeusedto
connecttheothertwobasinstotheEastandWestBranchjunctionsandcanbeusedtoconnect
bothjunctionstotheoutlet.Oncealloftheconnectivityisinplace,SAVEthebasinmodel.

Allhydrologiccomponentscanbeeditedintwoways.Thefirstistosimplydoubleclickonthe
subbasiniconorreachicon,whichallowsyoutoeditthepropertiesofthatonesubbasinorreach.
Thesecondistoselect Parameters inthebasinmodelmenu,whichallowsyoutoeditalimited
amount of information for all subbasins that use a particular method. To use this, click on
Parameters,andthenclickonthedatatypeyouwishtoenter/edit.Coefficientsfortheremaining
BasinModelparametersareeithergivenorcalculatedbelow(forinstance,subbasinarea/baseflow
informationisinTable2).Usingthedoubleclickmethod,fillinalloftheparmeters,savethebasin
modelandclosetheSCHEMATICwindow.

SubbasinArea/BaseFlowCharacteristicsandLossRateCharacteristics

Table4,shownbelow,givessomebackgroundinformationofdifferentcharacteristics.Usingthe
doubleclickmethod,edittheLossRatevalues.SelecttheInitial/Constantmethod.Also,editthe
Baseflowvalues,selectingtheRecessionmethod.NotethatintheBaseflowmenu,youmayhaveto
changetheunitsoftheThresholdtoratio.

Table4:CastroValleySubbasinCharacteristics

LossRate Baseflow/Area
Initial Const. Recess.
SubbasinID Imperv Area InitialQ Thresh
Loss Loss Const.
in in/hr % mi2 cfs/mi2 ratio
1 0.02 0.14 8 1.52 0.54 0.79 0.1
2 0.02 0.14 10 2.17 0.54 0.79 0.1
3 0.02 0.14 15 0.96 0.54 0.79 0.1
4 0.02 0.14 2 0.86 0.54 0.79 0.1
 18
RoutingMethods

Wewillbeusingtwotypesofroutingmethodsfortheexample.

Reach1utilizes MuskingumRouting.Again,wecandoubleclickonthereachtoenterthese
values.Thecomputationtimeofthemodelis5minandtheaveragevelocityofwaterinthestream
is0.75mi/hr.Thetotalreachlengthis0.45miles,anditisanaturalstream.So,sinceitisanatural
channel,wellassumethatX=0.2.Kisequaltolengthofthereach,dividedbythetotalvelocity,or
0.45mi/0.75mph,whichyieldsatraveltime(K)of0.6hours.0.6hoursisabout36minutes,which
wouldgiveabout7fiveminutesubreaches.

Reach 2 utilizes the Modified Puls Routing method. We must use the doubleclick method
Again,theaveragevelocitywasdeterminedtobeabout0.75mi/hr,butthelengthofthisreachis
0.25mi.Thetraveltimeequals0.25mi/0.75mph,or0.33hr,whichisabout20min.Thereare4
subreaches,calculatedbydividingthetraveltime(20min)bythecomputationtime.HECRASwas
usedtodeterminethestorageoutflowrelationshipshownbelowin Table 5.Thisrelationshipcan
alsobederivedusinganidealizedchannelandManningsequation.

Table5:StorageOutflowRelationshipforReach2

Storage(acft) 0 0.2 0.5 0.8 1 1.5 2.7 4.5 750 5000

Outflow(cfs) 0 2 10 20 30 50 80 120 1500 3000

Transform(UnitHydrographMethods)

Subwatersheds1and4willbemodeledusingtheClarkUnitHydrographandSubwatershed2and3
willbemodeledusingtheSnyderUnitHydrograph.

WewillbeginwithSubs2and3.DoubleclickonthesubbasinandselecttheTransformtab.The
totallengthoftheflowfromthefurtherpointinSub3toitsoutletis0.4mi.Thelengthofthepoint
inthestreamclosesttothecentroidtotheoutletofSub3isabout0.15mi.Ctisdeterminedtobe
about0.4(mountainousregion).ThelengthofthelongestflowpathinSub2is0.55mi,andlength
 19
fromthecentroidtotheoutletis0.18mi.LikeSub3, Ct is0.4. Cp forbothwatershedsis0.16.
Basedonthisinformation,Tpcanbecalculatedasfollows.

ForSub2,Tp=0.20. ForSub3,Tp=0.17.

Next,wewilldoSubs1and4.WhilethegivenempiricaldataforHoustonforthedeterminationof
TcandRareprobablynotapplicablefornorthernCalifornia,wewillusetheformulastodemonstrate
howClarkparameterestimationforSubs1and4.ThevalueslistedinTableweredeterminedfrom
topographicandlandusemaps.

Table6:LandUseandTopographicDataforSubs1and4

Sub1 Sub4
L(mi) 0.5 0.4
Lca(mi) 0.3 0.2
S(ft/mi) 20 25
S0(ft/mi) 5 6
%development 25 5
%conveyance 96 96

Usingthesecoefficients,thefollowingTcandRvaluesarecalculated:

ForSub1,Tc=0.25hrsandR=1.79hrs. ForSub4,Tc=0.17hrsandR=1.85hrs.

E. Precipitation Model

Theprecipitationmodeliswheretherainfallfromthegagesisenteredintothemodel.

Fromthemainmenu,select MeteorologicModel New fromthe Component menu.Enter

GageWtsforthePrecipitationModelnameandThiessenweights;10mindatafor
thedescriptionandclick OK. Thenselect UserGageWeighting inthe Method dropdown
menuandclickOK.Forthisarea,therearethreegages:theFireDept.recordinggagethatwe
havealreadyenteredandtwononrecording(stormtotal)gages.ToaddtheFireDept.gage,
clickonAddGage:RecordingandselectFireDept.andclickAddandClose.Toaddthetwo
 20
nonrecordinggages,clickonAddGageTotalStorm.AddProctorSchoolandSidneySchool,
with1.92inand1.37intotalstormrainfalltotals,respectively.TheIndexPrecipfieldisusedto
adjust for bias in the rain gages, and will not be used in this example. Next, click on the
SubbasinsListbutton,andclickAddunderneathCastro1.Thefoursubbasinsthatweentered
in thebasinmodel shouldappear. Finally, click onthe Weights taband enterthe Thiessen
weightsfromTable7below.Ifthegagenamesdonotappearinthe GageID column,click
insidethecolumnandchoosetheappropriategagesforeachsubbasin(ieyouwillonlyuseFire
Dept.andProctorSchoolforSubbasin1).Everywatershedmusthaveatleastonegagethatisa
recordinggagefortheTemporalDistribution,eveniftheGageweightissettozero.Enterthe
ThiessenweightsintheTotalstormGageWeightfileandbesuretoincludetheFireDept.with
aweightof1.0undertheTemporalDistribution.TheweightsareshownbelowinTable7.

Table7:TotalStormThiessenWeights

Subbasin 1 2 3 4
Fire
.8 .33 .8 0
Dept.
Proctor
.2 .33 1
School
Sidney
.33 .2
School

NOTE:Youdonthavetoincludethegagesyourenotusingonaparticularsubbasin,butifyou
accidentallydo,gototheEditmenuanddeletetheselectedrow.

Saveandclosetheprecipitationmodel.

F. Control Model

Thecontrolmodelsetsthetimingparameters,bothstartingandendingtimes ofthehydrologic
computations,aswellasthecomputationsteps.
 21
Select ControlSpecificationsNewfromComponentsonthemainmenu.Enter Jan73for
theControlSpecsnameand StormofJanuary16,1973 forthedescription.Enter
16Jan73fortheStartingandEndingDatesand0300(whichis3:00AM)fortheStarting
Time and 1255 (whichis12:55PM)forthe EndingTime.Select 5Minutes forthe Time
Interval,whichmeansthatahydrologiccomputationwillbemadeevery5minutes.ClickOK.

E. RunningtheModel

Wenoware(hopefully)readytorunthemodel.

Openthebasinmodel(Castro1).Clickon Simulate RunConfiguration andselect one

componentfromthebasinmodel,theprecipitationmodelandthecontrolmodel.Atthispoint,
thereshouldonlybeoneofeach,sohighlightCastro1,GageWts,andJan73.Keepthename
Run1 inthe RunID box,buttype ExistingConditions;16Jan73storm.Click
Add and Close.Torunthemodel,clickonthe C buttononthetoprightofthebasinmodel
screen.

Toviewresults,rightclickonanycomponentandyourcanseeaGraph,aSummaryTable,
andaTimeSeriesTable.Byaddinganewbasinmodel,saywithincreasedurbanization,ora
differentprecipitationmodel,sayofahypotheticalstormorevenofanotherrainfallevent,you
caneasilycompareresultsfromthedifferentmodelingruns.

TheseresultscanbeexportedtoExcelusingVisualDSSBasics97inmuchofthesamemanner
aswasdescribedinearliersections.

IV. ProblemAssignment

Determinethehydrologiceffect(peakflowandtiming)ofincreasingthepercentdevelopment
from25percentto45percentandthepercentimperviousincreasesfrom8percentto30percent
forSubwatershed1forCastroValley.WhataretheeffectsatWestJunctionandattheOutlet
comparedtotheExistingConditions?Todothis,opentheexistingconditionsbasin,selectsave
 22
asundertheFilemenu,renameiturbanization,andthenmakechangestothesubbasin.Use
thesamerainfallevent.ShowyournewTC&RcalculationsforSubbasin1also.

What is the hydrologic effect on the Existing Condition if the rainfall at each of the non
recordinggagesisdoubledandtherainfallattheFireDept.isincreasedby50%.
 23

Sources

Bedient,P.B.,andW.C.Huber.1992.HydrologyandFloodplainAnalysis.Reading,Massachusetts,
AddisonWesley.

Hogan,D.H.1997.ComputerAssistedFloodplainHydrologyandHydraulics.NewYork:McGraw
Hill.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hydrologic Engineering Center. 1991. HEC2, Water Surface
Profiles,Version4.6.DavisCalifornia.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hydrologic Engineering Center. 1995. HECDSS, Hydrologic
EngineeringCenter,DataStorageSystem.Davis,California.

U.S.Army Corps ofEngineers. Hydrologic Engineering Center. 1998a. HECHMS, Hydrologic

ModelingSystem,Version1.1.Davis,California.

U.S.ArmyCorpsofEngineers.HydrologicEngineeringCenter.1998b.HEC1,FloodHydrograph
Package,Version4.1.Davis,California.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Hydrologic Engineering Center. 1998c. HEC-RAS, River Analysis
System, Version 2.2. Davis, California